Beautiful Rewards Something Golden 2
by ClarkKentsgirl96
Summary: The squeal to Something Golden. Ponyboy and Matty are now married and moving to California. What will happen to them there? Credit goes to S.E Hinton
1. Chapter 1

**Here it is, the squeal to Something Golden. It takes place almost ten years after Ponyboy and Matty graduate high school. But there will be flashbacks to things that happened between now and then. I hope everyone likes the first chapter (its kind of a long one) and for anyone who wants it, here's a list of the kids:**

**Ponyboy and Matty:**

**Angel-4**

**Darry and Laura:**

**James-8**

**Nathan-6**

**Dahila-3**

**Sodapop and Emily:**

**Xavier- 9**

**Rachel-7**

**Dane-5**

**Wendy-2**

**Two-Bit and Kathy:**

**Mickey-5**

**Steve and Evie:**

**Melissa-7**

**Ben and Hannah (OCs):**

**Georgia-8**

**Michael-5**

**Ok here it goes!  
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><p>Prologue<p>

_It was the morning after Matty and I made love for the first time. The sun was in the middle of rising, so the run was light with a bright yellow light. I woke up before Matty, I just stared at her for the longest time. I didn't wanna wake her, she looked so peaceful and happy when she was sleeping. She had the blankets pulled up above her chest, and her hair hung loose and it spread out around her on the pillow. I remembered how she was last night. She was playful but affectionate. I remembered hearing how when a girl does it for the first time, it can hurt. I was a little worried at points if I was doing that to her, but she didn't complain, she mostly said my name and at one point she said she loved me. _

_I don't know how long I watched her for, but her eyes finally began to flutter opened. I leaned over and kissed her cheek. She looked over at me and smiled. "Good morning." I greeted her. "Morning." She answered. "You ok?" I asked._

"_Perfect. Why?"_

"_I just didn't want to have "The Morning After" regrets." I explained. Matty made a tiny chuckle. _

"_Ponyboy, you're seriously too sweet. And no, I lost it at the right time with the right guy."_

"_Good." I said. She then came closer and kissed me. "I love you," She said quietly. "I love you more," I replied playing our little game. She then kissed me again, this time longer. I let her roll over on top of me. For a minute I thought we were going to do it again. But we finally stopped before we went any farther. _

"_I should probably take a shower." Matty told me. _

"_I'll start breakfast." I said. Matty crawled off of me and pulled the blankets off. I got a sneaky peek before she found my shirt on the floor, put it on and walked down the hall. I watched her, and as I did, I thought to myself, "She's the only girl I ever wanna make love to. I'm gonna marry her someday." _

Chapter 1

It was Saturday morning, two days before we were moving to San Diego, when Darry called me up and said he was having a goodbye BBQ for us that night. Although we had lots of packing to do, but I couldn't say no. Sides it's not like Darry to do a spur of the moment thing like that, so I wasn't gonna back it down. I was gonna miss Darry, and his wife Laura. And they're kids. After Sodapop moved to live with Emily I got closer to Darry. Now we're rising kids together. I remember the time when my daughter Angel was 6 months old and both me and Matty got sick . Darry and Laura took care of Angel for us. So I would definitely miss them.

When I told Matty about the BBQ she was laying back on the couch watching _Sesame Street _with Angel. But Angel wasn't really watching, she was sitting on the floor flipping through a picture book. She likes reading too, just like her parents. One of us always reads to her before bed. Then in the morning she picks up the book from the night before and tries to remember the words the best she can. She really wants to learn how to read. Since she's 4 but starting kindergarten in September, she's worried all the other kids will be smarter than her. But I don't think she has anything to worry about.

When I walked in and she came running over to me. Angel can be a daddy's girl a lot. But she also loves to be around Matty, it really depends on her mood. When she got to me I picked her up.

"Wanna go to Uncle Darry's and Aunt Laura's tonight for a BBQ?" I asked her. She nodded. "James doesn't wanna play with us anymore though. He says he's too big, cause he's going into the 3rd grade." She informed me. For Angel, anyone pass 6 seems very old to her. I remember thinking like that.

"That's ok, you still have Nate and Dahlia, and Mickey." Two-Bit's son Mickey is her best friend. She also plays well with Steve and Evie's daughter Melissa whose 7, but they don't see each other too much.

"Daddy, can they come with us to San Diego?" She asked. "I'm sorry honey, they have to stay with their mommies and daddies. But you're gonna to meet your Uncle Sodapop and Aunt Emily, and their kids." I reminded her. "How come he's named after a drink?" Angel asked. She likes to ask a lot of questions.

"You're name after one of God's helpers." I told her, and she blushed. Matty laughed, while Big Bird counted to 5 on TV.

I love Angel from the bottom of my heart. When I met Matty, I didn't think I could love anyone as much as I love her. But then Angel was born. And she became the other love of my life. She was me, but she was also Matty. She was so beautiful. I know everyone thinks that way of their kids, but I literally haven't seen anything as precious as Angel.

I finally put her down and then went over and sat down next to Matty. I kissed her forehead and rubbed her cute little pregnant belly. It was already getting big since she was having twins. Although pregnancy can wear her out, she stays beautiful and can take care of Angel without breaking a sweat. She's just the perfect woman.

Angel came walking over with the book she was looking trough. "Hey Daddy, I know that word." She said pointing to the word _the. _"What is it?" Matty asked her.

"The." She answered proudly. "Very good." I praised her. "It's in there a lot." She said. She then looked at Matty's stomach and changed subjects.

"Mommy, can the babies breathe in your belly?" She asked Matty. "Uh-huh, they can." Matty answered her. "What if one baby breathes all the air and the other baby gets none?" Angel asked, concerned. "That won't happen." I promised her.

"When will we find out if they are boys or girls?" Angel asked moving on. "When they're born." Matty answered since we decided to be surprised. "I want them to boys." Angel declared. "Why not girls?" I asked. "Cause we already have a girl. And if they were boys we could name them Nate and Mickey and then it will almost be like the real ones are living in San Diego with us." She explained.

Me and Matty laughed. We don't know where she comes up with this stuff. But then again you can't really tell what's going on inside a four year old's head.

Angel went back to her book while keeping one eye on the TV. Matty rested her head on my shoulder, I felt like a teenager again. She use to do that a lot when we first started dating, she doesn't as much anymore.

"You ok?" I asked her. "Yeah, just tired. You know, the babies and the moving and being a mom." She answered. "Think you'll be able to go to the BBQ tonight?"

"Yeah I'll be fine." I then kissed her head and watched Angel try to learn more words in her book.

…

We got to Darry's around 5:30. Him and Laura are doing good. Laura is still a teacher, she had to take a couple of maternity breaks but besides that she doesn't plan on stopping anytime soon. Darry is still is in the roofing business, but now he's co-owner of the company. He makes more money now. About 6 years ago him and Laura sold our old house that they were still living in and got a new one near ours.

Actually, one by one all of us moved out of the old neighborhood. It was getting more rough. More rumbles going on, stuff like that. Definitely not like the neighborhood we grew up in, and even that wasn't the best. We all bought nice houses, just not in the South side. We were pass the whole Socs rivalry, we were too old for that now. We just didn't wanna forget our roots.

We were the first ones there. Laura and Matty hugged and Darry and I shook hands. Now that we're both dads, our age difference doesn't seem as big as it use to be. Angel ran out to the backyard to find Nathan and Dahlia splashing around in a wadding pool. "Can I get into my bathing suit now, Mommy?" She asked Matty. "Sure, I'll help you." She answered.

"No, I'll help her, you sit down Matty." Laura said.

"C'mon Laura I'm not that pregnant yet." Complained Matty. She's still as headstrong as she was at 15.

"Yeah, but you _are _pregnant with twins, and a guest. Plus this BBQ is for you, so just take it easy. You're gonna be very busy pretty soon."

Matty sighed. "Fine, but I'm at least making a salad." She stated and Laura didn't put up a fight. She just lead Angel to the bathroom who was telling her about moving San Diego.

Darry and I started the grill up. Then his oldest James walked down from his room. He had an action figure in his hand. He walked out to the backyard and glared at his younger siblings.

"They're such babies Uncle Ponyboy." He said to me. "I know it seems like that now, Jamie, but it won't soon."

"No it always will. You should 'em, they really are babies. Nathan is still learning how to read, and Dahlia still wets the bed sometimes."

"Hey, James, stop. Why don't you go play in your fort?" Darry said. He pointed over to some bushes near a fence that had a opening in them that James used as a little hideout sometimes. James thought about it. "Fine, just don't let the little kids in there." He warned then began walking towards it. Darry shook his head.

"He's been acting like that a lot lately. He thinks he's too tough and old for them. But you know what? He's actually pretty protective of them at the same time. The other day at the playground some kid tried stealing Nate's truck and James scared him off for him." Darry explained to me.

"Kinda sounds like you." I teased him. He playfully punched me. He then started making burgers when Two-Bit and Steve showed up with their wives and kids. Both of them are doing pretty good. Steve is now the owner of the DX him and Soda use to work at. For whatever reason the original owner left it for him in his will. Probably cause he worked there the longest. And Two-Bit works part time. Kathy ended up going to college and now has a full-time job, so most of the time Two-Bit is at home taking care of Mickey. He may sound strange since he is the man of the house, but if you ask me he likes it that way. He's a great dad. He's already teaching Mickey jokes too.

When Angel saw Mickey she ran out of the wadding pool to hug him, getting him all wet. But neither one of them cared. When Steve's daughter Melissa showed up Jamie let her into his fort. She's the only one he considers grown up enough, even if she is a girl. Kids are just silly.

The kids all played together while us adults talked and got food ready. When it got too cold to swim anymore, Matty was able to get the four little kids out of the wadding pool and dried them all off. When it was time to eat, we all sat outside. It was the beginning of June, so it was finally nice to stay out late. There was one table for the kids and another for the adults. James and Melissa sat with the four younger kids without complaining. Once they started talking to them they forgot they were suppose to be babies.

At one point, we got quiet and I just said sub-consciously, "I'm really gonna miss you all." and everyone got real sympathetic looks. I could tell we were all flashing back to good times we had with each other. I thought of the day I met Matty. On the first day of school. How captivated I was by her hair. It was still the same color. But now it was cut differently and she didn't wear it like she use to. Then I thought of the night we made love for the first time, then the morning after, when I decided I was gonna marry her someday.

"We'll miss you guys too." Said Two-Bit. I could then feel Matty's hand intertwining with mine. "You guys really helped us through a lot. We can't thank you enough." She said.

"Don't need to, we're here for you. Weather your living in Tulsa or San Diego." Steve answered. "You guys will do great out there." Darry encouraged us.

I looked over at Angel. She was sitting in between Mickey and Dahlia. Her and Nathan were having a sword fight with French fries. She was laughing as James told everyone a joke. Angel plays well with other kids, I think she'll be able to make friends once she starts kindergarten. And I'm sure she'll like Soda and Emily's kids.

Then I looked at Matty. Matty has been through so much in her life, moving a lot is one. She's learned to adjust to things quickly. And even if she has not one but two other lives depending on her, she can handle it and wake up with a smile on her face. And she's good at her job. The kids she gets homes for really like her, she really relates to them too. She'll do great in California.

Me, I'm not so sure. I know I'm a good father and writer, and it will be easier to be in contact with my publisher now. And I miss Soda a lot, so I'll be happy to see him. And I always wanted to live in California. But I was gonna miss all my friends here. And this is where I lived my whole life. Although there are some bad memories here, there's also so many good ones. I would miss it, but it was time for a new place.

I kissed Matty's head then agreed with Darry. "Yeah I'm sure we will."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, here's the second chapter. Sorry it took so long. also i have a poll on my profile, vote please! **

Chapter 2

On our last day in Tulsa around noon time, Matty and I decided to say goodbye to everything. Not just people, but places we use to hang out and things like that. We brought Angel along, just for fun. She's still a little to understand some importance in the places Matty and I use to go as teenagers, but at least she could get a little bit of an idea.

We started with saying goodbye to people. We went to Darry and Laura's house first. We knocked on the door and Laura answered. "What are you guys doing here?" She asked. "Just wanted to say goodbye." I told her. She then got emotional. She put her hands up to her mouth so we couldn't see her lips quiver as she started crying. She called for Darry and told him how we were saying goodbye.

Darry took a good look at me and I could tell what he was thinking. He was thinking back to the days when I was his "kid brother". I couldn't even walk home without getting jumped by Socs. I had a mind filled with movies and books and he hated it. We fought all the time until it reached the point where I wanted to run away. Soda finally made us see eye to eye, after that, things went back to the way they were before our parents died. We ended up becoming best friends. We found the loves of our lives and married him. And I went to college, became a writer and learned to stand on my own two feet. I grew up before Darry's eyes and now I was leaving.

He just pulled me over and hugged me. We stayed that way for awhile, he even patted my back. Then Matty hugged Laura. Laura started out as a mother figure for Matty, but as years went by they became sisters. They always talked about the kids and being mothers and wives. Now it was time to say goodbye.

We all finally stopped hugging, but we swapped. I began to hug Laura and Matty hugged Darry. Their kids came running up to see what was happening and Angel hugged them, even James.

"We're gonna miss ya…kid brother." Darry said once we all finished. "I know, we will too. But we'll visit I promise. We'll try and come back for Christmas." I said. "Good."

We said goodbye for another five minutes before we went over to Two-Bit's, where it happened all over again. Angel hugged Mickey especially tight. They've been friends since they were in the play pen. Two-Bit use to joke about them getting married.

At one point Two-Bit nudged Mickey and he ran off. Me, Matty and Angel stood there confused. "He'll be right back." Kathy told us. And he did, with a stuffed Mickey Mouse. He handed it to Angel.

"This is a goodbye present." He said to Angel. She took then hugged it tightly, then hugged Mickey. I looked over at Two-Bit. "Was that your idea?" I asked.

"It was me and Kathy's idea to get a goodbye present for Angel, but it was Mickey's idea to get the Mickey Mouse doll." He explained. "Thank you, Mickey. And Uncle Two-Bit and Kathy." Angel said without me or Matty telling her to first. We said goodbye for a few more minutes.

It was hard to say goodbye to Steve. Not as hard as it was to say goodbye to Darry and Two-Bit, but it was still hard. The two of us had become friends over the years. He really changed his ways after fighting in Vietnam.

Then we went over to Ben's. Ben ended up marrying Hannah, she made him go to Woodstock with her, but he actually had a good time. They have two kids, Georgia and Michael. In high school Ben's sister Ell dated Vic for awhile, but things didn't work out. She ended up meeting a guy name Henry and married him. They moved to Oklahoma City, no kids yet though.

It was also hard saying goodbye to Ben. I still remember the day we first met, when he first came into work. How we were surprised because he was black, and how Matty was unsure of him at first. But the turned out to be a really nice guy and a good friend. His skin color had nothing to do with his personality. I'm glad they got rid of all those segregation laws.

"I'm really gonna miss ya guys. You two were my first friends in Tulsa." Ben said to us. "We'll miss you too, but we plan on visiting." Matty said. We talked a little more before leaving.

Now it was time to say goodbye to some places.

We started with the school, just cause it was the place we met and there was a lot of memories here. Like on Matty's first day and I had to show her around. I always like remembering it for some reason…

"_So Madeline…" I started. "Don't call me that. I hate that name. Only adults call me it. Call me Matty." Matty, that was a boy's name but for some reason, it fit her. "Fine then, Matty, I'm Ponyboy Curtis." _

"_No really, what's your name?" She looked at me like I had two heads. "That's it, I'm not joking, I also have a brother name Sodapop." I said. "Do you have a sister named Bubblegum?" Matty asked. "No, just another brother named Darrel." _

"_I'd like to meet your parents." She said. "They're…they're dead." I told her. She looked at me. But not the look I usually get from people when I tell them about my parents, this one was different. "Oh. I'm real sorry, Ponyboy. I don't got a mother either." She answered, her voice changed. It went from sounding like Dally…to Johnny. "Sorry. My brother Darrel is 20, takes care of me. Soda's 17, works at a gasoline station, full time." I said. "I just got my old man. I sure don't like him though. This is my sixth time moving." She explained. _

"_Where'd you move to?" I couldn't help but ask. "All the way on the other side of town. That's why I was late to class, it took me forever to get here. I moved into some house, some old grouches use to live in it. I heard they had a son that died…"_

_I couldn't believe it. She moved into Johnny's old house. I didn't wanna tell her that though. "Um, I never near there too. A few houses down actually." I said. "How'd you get to school on time?" Matty asked. "My brother, we call him Darry, made me leave for school early. Plus I know a few shortcuts." I didn't tell her I found them running away from Socs trying to start a fight or jump me. "Maybe you could show me them sometime." She said. "Yeah sure. No problem." I answered. It was quiet for a minute._

"_Well, Ponyboy Curtis, are you going to show me around this school or what?" Matty finally asked. "Oh yeah, sorry. Well right over there is the Biology lab…."…._

I think about that time a lot. It's one of my favorite times I've spent with Matty. We slowly drove by the school and looked at it. "Bye." I could hear Matty whisper. I took one hand of the steering wheel and put it on top of hers.

Next place we went to was the drugstore where we worked with Two-Bit and Ben, or first job. We worked there throughout college too. The only bad memory we have of that place is the time the Socs hit Matty with their car…

"_Matty! Matty can you hear me? It's Ponyboy! If you can hear me answer me please!" I could feel tears coming out of my eyes. Don't die, don't die, don't die. "Pony…" She finally answered. Her voice could barely be heard and was weak. "Yeah it's Pony. I'm gonna stay right here till an ambulance comes." I promised her. I could see her trying to open her eyes but she didn't have the strength to. _

"_I love you." She said. "I love you too, Matty. Please, stay with me." She didn't answer…_

But that was really it. And I try not to think about it much. After the drugstore was the drive-in. Now there's way too many memories from that place, even if all you do there is watch a movie and eat a lot of popcorn. There was times we spent with Sodapop or Ben, and one or two times where we kissed through most of the movie, but it was kind of like our special place. We both loved it and we spent a lot of Saturday nights there.

Next was the library. We also spent a lot of time there. And now we took Angel there a lot too. Matty even read her 'The Little Princess' like her mother use to. Hopefully they have some good libraries in San Diego. Then there was the lot we would sit in sometimes to watch a sunset before going to the drive-in. We didn't talk much when we were here, mostly just watched the sunset, and made out. But we were both gonna miss it. And then, there was the spot where we had our first kiss. The log was gone, but I remember exactly were it was and what happened….

"_Pony, I can't imagine loosing my parents then two of my friends. You are the strongest person ever." _

"_Not really." I said. "Yes really, You are strong and caring and…gold." I took a real good and strong look at her. Even with the moonlight I could see the beautiful gold color in her hair. She was really beautiful. Even with the tear marks on her cheek and only some night clothes on. "You're golden too." I whispered. _

_Then we kissed. My first real kiss. It was perfect. For the first time in a long time I felt like nothing else mattered anymore. I found something golden._

And I know Matty remembers too. Someday, we'll tell Angel about it, and the twins too. And we'll let them know that me and Matty will be in love, forever.

After that we went through our old neighborhood. We pointed out everyone's houses. "That was my house when he was kid. I lived there with Uncle Darry and Sodapop. And Mommy and even Aunt Laura for awhile." I told Angel when we drove by our house. Then we drove by one that still pains me to see. "That," I started. "Was Mommy's house for a little bit. Before that it was my old friend's….his name was Johnny." This was my first time telling my daughter about Johnny.

"What happened to Johnny?" Angel asked. I wanted to answer her, but I just couldn't. Matty did for me. "He went to Heaven, to live God and your grandparents and all the other angels."

I then remember one last place I had to go to and say goodbye. "Wanna see where he sleeps?" I asked Angel.

…

This was Angel's first time seeing Johnny and Dallas's grave. As we pulled up to the graveyard, got out of the car, and I pointed them out to Angel saying that's where they slept, she got her puzzled look on her face. I could tell she was trying to make sense of what I meant by that. Since she's still little, she still doesn't understand death yet.

"Why is he underground?" She asked. I then kneeled down next to her and tried to explain it the best I could so that she could understand.

"You see baby, everybody has a spirit. And our bodies are just hear to hold them. Our spirits live on earth for awhile, like a temporary home. But then they move back to Heaven to be with God. But the bodies can't come. So we bury them in the ground in a special place so family and friends who are still living on earth will remember them."

"So, he's not really in there?"

"No, he's up in Heaven looking down on us. But, this way, we can still talk to them, and he can hear us." I said. Matty then pointed over at Dally's grave.

"That's another one of Daddy's old friends, his name is Dallas. Him and Johnny now share a house in Heaven." She said to Angel. Angel looked over at us.

"Can they ever come back to earth?" I didn't answer her, I wanted to, but I just couldn't. It's been years, and I've gotten a lot better, but sometimes it still gets to me about Dally and Johnny and my parents being dead. Angel still doesn't understand yet, she will in a few years. But for now, even though me and Matty are explaining it to her the best we can she doesn't fully understand it.

Matty answered so I didn't have to. "No, honey. Once you go back to Heaven, you stay there forever. But it's so nice you don't even want to leave." I looked over at Johnny's grave. "Angel, why don't we wait in the car for a minute. I think Daddy wants to talk to them alone." Matty then took Angel's hand and they walked back to the car. Leaving me by myself.

"Hey guys, it's me. That little girl was Angel, I've told you guys about her, she's my daughter, remember? I love her so much, I wish you guys could have experienced what it's like to love and care for somebody that much. I really wish we got to raise our kids together. But it just…wasn't meant to be I guess."

"This is gonna be my last time talking to you two for a long time. Me and Matty, we're gonna move to San Diego and live near Sodapop and his wife. I'm excited. I get to live somewhere besides Tulsa for the first time in my life, I'm closer to Soda and my publisher, we're gonna live in a nicer house, and all that stuff. But at the same, I'm nervous.

"And it's not just about the moving, but Matty is pregnant again. This time with twins. I know I'm a good dad,. But what if having two kids at once is too much for me too handle? I have Matty I know, but still. I just wanna give my kids the best life possible. I don't want them to experience what the three of us did." -I paused- 'You know sometimes I wish you guys were able to answer back. I'm not sure you're advice would be the best, especially you Dally, no offence. But it would somehow…help me I guess.

"But you know what? I'm gonna look at all this in a positive way. I can do this. It's not like I'm alone. I got Matty, Soda and Emily, and I can call Darry up on the phone, and even if you guys aren't really here, I know you're here for me. Thanks for helping me all these years." I started to walk back to the car, but turned around.

"See ya later."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I was the first one up on Moving Day. I figured I would let Matty sleep, since she's the pregnant one. I know it sounds crazy, moving when you have a wife pregnant with twins and a four year old. But Matty got pregnant after we decided to move. It wasn't unplanned or anything, we were already taking about having another baby, but we didn't wanna force it. If it happened it happened. And it happened. It was the same way with Angel. We were ready for our first child, but we worried if we forced it to happen we wouldn't have as much luck.

I got up at 5:30, 15 years ago I wouldn't even think about getting up that early. But there was still some last minute packing to do. I had to do it quietly though so I wouldn't wake my girls up. I also wanted Angel to get some sleep, since she was up late for her the night before and nothing is worse then a cranky toddler on a long car ride. Yes, we were driving to San Diego. It would take nearly two days. Me and Matty must sound really crazy now. But luckily, Matty just got over the throwing up part of the pregnancy, so I wouldn't have to worry about her getting carsick. Plus we would stop at gas stations for bathroom breaks and to eat and we would probably stop at a motel to sleep for a night.

When I finished all the packing I put stuff in the car that Angel could do on the long ride. Books she could flip trough and try to read, coloring books, puzzles stuff like that. She doesn't play with Barbies too much. But she will play with them when she's with Dahlia or Melissa, so it isn't like she hates them or anything.

Angel woke up soon, then Matty shortly afterwards. Since there wasn't much time for a big breakfast, we all just had cereal. The guys with the moving van came just as Angel was sipping the last of her milk, and let half of it dribble down her chin. Then, one by one the boxes were rolled up into the big van. Some little things went into the back of our trunk, but not much. Angel watched the hairy men shove all our belongings into a truck on the front lawn. She sat with her legs criss-crossed and clutching the Mickey Mouse she got the day before. I think it was just hitting her now that she was really going to leave her friends and uncles and aunts. When it was time to go I picked her up and gave her a kiss. She wrapped one arm around my neck while holding her Mickey in the other.

I carried her into the car and buckled her up. "Daddy," She started. "What baby?" She didn't say anything.

I then got into the driver's seat, where Matty was waiting sitting shotgun. I shut my door. "You girls ready?" I asked them. Matty nodded. "Yes." she answered. I took her hand and kissed it. I then turned to Angel. She was staring out the window at our house.

"You ready, Angel?" I asked her, but she still wouldn't stop staring at the house. "Honey, you ok?" Matty asked her. "We know you're gonna miss the house and your friends and family, but we're still with you. And we'll come back to visit." I assured her. She looked over at me, she looked so sad. I hate to see her unhappy. Especially when I feel like I can't cheer her up. I decided to play when of our little games. I blew her a kiss, and she catches it then pressed it to her cheek. That was a good sign.

So I turned back around, buckled my seat belt and turned the car on and put it into gear.

"Here we go." I say.

* * *

><p>The ride was well, what can I say? It was boring. There's not much to say. I remember being so excited to get my license so I can drive, but now it's just like walking. I just have to do it to get around. I also hate being in the car for too long. I get bored and want to do something else after awhile, but I gotta keep driving till I get to where I need to go. But we all tried to entertain ourselves though.<p>

Matty read some books. A few were about parenting, others were fiction. Angel was still sad for the first hour or so of the car ride, but she snapped out of it. Luckily she doesn't stay upset for too long. She flipped trough her picture books. She tried making up her own stories for the pictures, maybe she'll become a writer like me. She also drew in some of the coloring books I gave her to do and did one of the puzzles.

I couldn't do much to entertain myself, since I was the one driving. All I really could do was put on the radio, which I did. My taste in music hasn't changed too much since I was a teenager. I still listen to Elvis, but I've also discovered some new bands. The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith. What I've really gotten into was Bruce Springsteen though.

Back when I was in college, Two-Bit talked me into going to a bar with him, I didn't drink much though. And there was this guy playing with a small band. He was good. I mean, really good. He had this great energy, he had everyone in the bar in the palm of his hand. If he played a upbeat song, everyone was in a good mood. He played a more sad song, people would be quiet. Two-Bit and I couldn't get over him. We both kept yapping about how he needed to get famous. Then a few years ago back in 1975, I'm in a record store and I hear a song playing on the radio and the voice sounded familiar. It took me a couple a minutes to realize who it was. I asked the guy at the cashier what album it was from, and he said _Born to Run_, so I bought it. Now I love this guy. Angel was a baby when I started getting into him, so she basically grew up listening to him and she likes him too. Matty does too, everyone does, even Sodapop. My favorite song is 'Thunder Road', Angel likes 'Tenth Avenue Freeze Out' Matty likes 'Born to Run', says it reminds her of us.

So we listened to the radio for awhile, and if a song came on we liked it, we all sang along. Luckily Angel doesn't get embarrassed by our bad singing yet.

Every hour we'd stop for a bathroom stop, being pregnant is not nice to a woman's bladder. For lunch and dinner we would stop at diners where the food was cheap but the burgers were still good. When we finished I even let Angel run around the building a few times. Just so she could stretch her legs and blow off all her energy so she wouldn't get restless in the car.

Around 10:00 angel conked out in her booster seat, and that's when we started looking for a good motel. We finally did, and I carried Angel into the room. I placed under the ugly floral covers on the bed, then me and Matty gave her good night kisses. Matty brushed her teeth and changed into a baggy t-shirt for pajamas. I just striped down to my boxes. Even though we spent the whole day in a car, we were tired. The past couple of days had been hectic busy and it was only gonna get crazy.

Matty and I both climbed in and got comfortable. I looked over at her. She had her head on the pillow with her golden brown hair spread out around her, it just automatically does that sometimes. She seemed tired, but not yet ready to go to sleep. But she was still, like always, beautiful. I looked and thought "How did I get so lucky?" I think this a lot when I see her and Angel.

I _wanted _her right now. We hadn't really had sex since we found out she was pregnant. But I couldn't right now anyway with our daughter in the bed right over. Instead I just wrapped her in my arms and kissed her for a little bit. But it was enough for me for now.

* * *

><p>We woke up the next morning around 5:30, went to the bathroom, checked out, then it was back on the road. We were somewhere in Arizona now. There was a lot of sand and cactuses, reminded me of a desert. We unrolled some of the windows since it was pretty hot out. Once again, the girls read, I drove, the radio played, and we stopped every hour for a bathroom break. Most of the time it was Matty going.<p>

That night we stopped at another motel, we were so close.

The next day we made it to our new house our 11:00, a start of a new life.

**Hope everyone liked this chapter. I added my own favorite musician into the story, can you guess who it is ;)**. **Also I havent been able to write much cause I'm in a play for school (Christmas Carol) and I have to be at practice alot. It's crazy** **I have to be at one on Sunday from 10 AM to 8 PM! ****Plus I have schoolwork and crap. but once this all blows over I'll find more time to write. thanks for reading! Stay Gold!  
><strong>


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Our new house was two stories. I've only lived in two other houses before, and they were both one story, so this was something new. It was a four bedroom three bathroom house. It wasn't huge, but it was pretty big for just three people, but soon five people would be living in it anyway. It also had a big attic and basement. And a front and back yard. The front yard was kind of small, the back yard wasn't too bad. It could fit a grill and a swing-set for Angel.

Before we started unpacking, we let Angel walk around and we gave her a tour of the house. When you first walked into the front door there was a small hallway that lead to the kitchen and living room. Also there was an opening to the dinning room and of course the downstairs bathroom. The kitchen was luckily had enough cooking space and room was a table. At our old house we always had to eat in the dinning room. We had to buy a new table set for the new dinning room so it would match. And next to the living room there was room that was gonna be my office so I could write. Then upstairs was the bedrooms. Two were across from each other, then were was a hallway and the bathroom, then at the end of the quick hallway the other two were across from one another.

"Mommy, whose gonna get the bedroom across from you and Daddy?" Angel asked Matty. Matty looked at me as if she didn't know what to say, then back at Angel. "Uh, we were gonna give that room to the babies when they're born." She told her honestly. "Oh." Angel said quietly. I knew what she was thinking. She was nervous about sleeping in a new place and wanted to feel close to us.

"It's just that babies wake up in the middle of the night crying a lot, so that way we won't have to walk all the way down the hall and can get to them faster." I explained. Angel still looked unhappy. This move really isn't easy on her. "But we were thinking of making the extra room a playroom for you. Would you like that?" Matty said. Angel finally smiled. "Yes." Of course Matty knew the right thing to say.

After we finished showing Angel around the house, we let her run around the backyard. She'd been sitting in a car for the past couple of days, so we figured she had energy she needed to burn off. We weren't gonna unpack too much today. Just important furniture like beds and the kitchen table, stuff like that. But Angel needed to stay outside. With the movers carrying heavy furniture round, we couldn't let her get in the way. But just we were about to get started there was a knock at the front door.

The door was already open, so movers could come in and out so I could see who it was. Sodapop!

I began walking faster when I saw it was him. He had one of his kids with him. He looked around Angel's age, and he looked almost exactly like what Soda did when he was a little kid. It was Dane, Soda and Emily's youngest son.

As soon as I reached the front door, me and Sodapop started hugging. I hadn't seen him since Christmas a year ago, the only time we talked was trough letters and over the telephone. "Hey man." I said to him sounding like a teenager again. "How ya doing, Pones?" He said. Soda had defiantly aged, but his years were treating him good. Sure enough, he was still movie-star handsome like he was 15 years ago, just a little older. Emily is lucky. And so am I, since Matty is like that too. Except now with her pregnancy she's puffy all the time and griping, but stuff like that doesn't matter to me.

"You look good." I said to Soda once we stopped hugging. "Hey you ain't so bad yourself." He said to me. Since I'm only 29 I haven't aged too much, thank God. But I just look older. My hair is shorter and I don't grease it anymore. Back when I was 14 I would never wear my hair like this. It was worse than having it cut all lopsided and bleached.

"Where's Matty and Angel?" Soda asked. "Angel is out in the backyard, Matty is somewhere resting. This pregnancy is more tiring than her first one." I explained. "Probably cause she's carrying two babies this time." Soda said. "Yeah." Just then, Angel came walking in from the back door and came walking over to me. Last time she saw her Uncle Soda and Dane, she was two, she didn't even remember them. She hugged my leg a little, acting shy.

"Angel, this is your Uncle Sodapop." I told her pointing to Soda. "How ya doing, sweetheart?" He said flashing his legendary smile at Angel. "Good, thank you." Angel said smiling a little. Soda can charm anyone. But also Angel likes to be called sweetheart a lot for some reason. "And then this is your cousin Dane." I told her pointing to Dane. He was somewhat glaring at her, like he was trying to be some tough guy. Kinda reminded me of Dally.

"What kind of name is Angel?" He said to her. She then let go of my leg and stood closer to him. She's like Matty she knows when to stick up for herself. "Well you daddy is named Sodapop." She reminded him. "So, at least soda is a tasty drink. Angels are sissys And your dad is named Ponyboy. Ponies are sissys too."

"They are not! Angels help God, and ponies grow up to be horses. And horses aren't sissys!" Soda and I have one another worried looks, the two already weren't getting along. "Well you're a girl, girls like sissy stuff like that, cause they're not as smart as boys."

"No they're not!" Angel was getting mad now. "Angel that's enough." I warned her but she didn't listen. "Yeah they are, how old are you?" Dane asked. "Four." She told him.

"Well I'm five, so I'm smarter, cause I'm older. I'm going to kindergarten in the fall." Dane bragged. Soda then nudged him. "Dane cut it out, be nice to your cousin." But neither one of them was listening to us.

"So am I! My doctor and day care teacher said I'm smart enough to go." Angel informed Dane. Then his expression changed. His eyes got wide, and he now seemed interested in what Angel had to say.

"Really? Can you read yet?" He asked. "Just my name, _the _and _dog__." _She said truthfully. "I can read my name too, and the cover of _The Cat in the Hat_." Said Dane. "I like that book, my daddy reads it to me before bed sometimes."

"Me too." Now and Soda and I were smiling, now they were getting along. Funny how little kids can be that way. One minute they're fighting five minutes later they're playing a game together. Soda then went on with what he wanted to say.

"Since you and Matty are gonna be busy unpacking today, Emily and I figured Angel could come over and could meet and play with her cousins. Then around dinner you and Matty could come over and eat a home cooked meal instead of take-out." He explained. "Sounds good to me." I said. The four of us then walked down the street to Soda and Emily's house. Dane and Angel talked about different books they liked and wanted to learn to read. When we got to their house the oldest, Xavier whose nine was watching a cartoon. Their seven-year-old Rachel was at the table drawing in a coloring book. And the youngest, Wendy whose two was running around with no clothes on. Emily was chasing after her.

Emily looks older now, but is still really pretty. Still has her auburn hair and eyes that look like leaves in the summer. But right now, she looked tired. Four kids can do that to you. "I swear Soda, if she doesn't get potty trained soon I'm gonna go insane." She complained. "Relax, she will." Once couples get older and start having kids, their relationships change. Some start fighting more, act like they're mad at each other a lot. But with Emily and Soda I can tell they still love each other. They might babble but at the end of the day, they still love one another. Darry and Laura are like that too. Me and Matty don't fight too much. Just once in awhile over silly stuff like bills.

I said hello to Emily and let Angel say hi to all her cousins before I went back home. When I got there, the only piece furniture in the house was the couch, which Matty was lying down on. "Dropped Angel off at Soda's?" she asked. "Yeah we're gonna go over there for dinner." I said walking over. "That's fine." She said. She had her eyes closed. I sat down by her feet. "You ok?" I asked. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Maybe we should've waited 'fore the babies were born to move." I thought out loud. "No, Pony, it's not that bad. Travel always makes me tired. Sides if we waited for the babies to born it would be twice as bad and both of us would be tired. Just let me rest for a few minutes." She explained. While I waited for her to be ready I rubbed her feet. She doesn't complain much, but when she does it's cause her feet hurt or are swollen.

Once she was ready to go the movers brought in all the big furniture and we told them where to put it. Then we unloaded the boxes and put them in the right rooms, but we didn't unpack anything yet. Now the beds, the table and chairs were all in the right spots. Me and Matty fell unto our bed, just to rest our eyes for a few minutes. But then I woke up, and my watch said 6:30.

"C'mon Matty we gotta go to Soda and Emily's for dinner." i told Matty. She yawned but got up without a word. When we got there, Angel was coloring with Rachel and Dane. Xavier with was reading a comic book but he was sitting with them, and Wendy was banning on pots and pans like they were drums. Soda told me she's the sassy one who likes to start trouble, hopefully it's just part of the terrible twos phase.

Dinner was just spaghetti and meatballs, but it was nice to have something sides fast food or something from a diner. Soda and Emily told me and Matty about how good the school system is up here, Matty told them about her pregnancy, I talked about the memoir/coming-of-age book I was hoping to publish and Soda liked the idea. Emily too. Angel talked to all four of her cousins, they all acted like they've known her their whole lives. I liked that, especially since she had a rocky start with Dane.

After dinner, we went home and went straight to bed, all of us were tired. But at least we were finally here.

**Sorry this chapter was late, I was in a play and it took up a lot of my time. Merry late Christmas! I'll try to write during break and now that the play is over, Stay Gold! **


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

First night in our new house was two words: Not easy. First we had to put Angel to bed. We should've given her a bath since she hadn't had one in a few days, but we were all too tired. So we brushed her teeth, combed her hair, read a quick bedtime story and kissed her good night. I left her room then came in ten minutes later to check on her, like I always do. She was still awake. Normally she's a fast sleeper and is asleep bu the time I come in an check on her. But this time she was still tossing and turning around.

"Can't sleep baby?" I asked. "I don't like this new house." Was all she said to me. "Why?"-I asked going over and sitting on the foot of her bed- "It's a nice house. It's bigger and it's near your cousin's, and it's only a few miles away from the beach? Wouldn't that be fun? To go to the beach whenever you wanted?"

"I've never been to the beach before, Daddy." She reminded me. "I know, but there's a first time for everything. You'll like the beach, I promise." I said to her. "When can we go?" She asked me. "Soon, real soon. But for now you have to go to sleep, ok?" She nodded and shut her eyes. I slowly got up and shut the door.

I then went into the bathroom in me and Matty's room. She was in the middle of her shower, so I brushed my teeth and splashed my face with water. "That you, Pony?" She asked trough the curtain? "No, Paul Newman." I joked. She chuckled. "You always had a thing for him. I use to think you had a gay crush on him or something." She told me. I couldn't help but smile. "Nah I just think he's a good actor. He was cool that's all." I said.

Matty then turned off the water and stepped out with a towel wrapped around herself, even though I know every inch of her. "You taking a shower tonight?" She asked me as she began to dry herself off. "No, too tired. I will tomorrow morning." I answered. She then took a towel to dry her hair with. I slipped off my clothes until I had on my boxers and undershirt, I'd just sleep in those. I was about to put my dirty clothes in the hamper but then remembered we hadn't unpacked it yet. So I just put them in the corner where we would eventually put it.

Matty quickly took off her towel and pulled on her underwear and hooked on her bra. I love how she feels like she has to hide from me, I've seen it all. I walked over to her and began to rub her pregnant belly. I just thought, two little people who we created, who were gonna look like us, were inside her. She then pulled me a little closer (You can't get too close with a pregnant belly no matter how far along she is). I put my arms around her waist and breathed her in.

"You smell nice." I said to her. "You look nice." She said back. we then kissed one another, softly. We hugged for a few more moments before she slipped on an old shirt for pajamas. We walked out of the bathroom and into our room. I headed for our bed while she walked towards the door. "I'm just gonna check on Angel." She informed me. "Alright."

I climbed into bed, it was a little hot out tonight, so we only had two thin blankets. Matty didn't come back in for another five minutes. "Still not asleep?" I asked. "Not really. I sang to her and that seemed to help her doze off a little." She explained. Matty use to be really self-conscious about how her singing voice sounded. I never heard her sing, only along with records with other people at parties and stuff. But suddenly after Angel was born she started singing to her. At night when Angel was being fussy Matty would sing and she would calm down and fall asleep a little while later. Her voice is actually very pretty. It may not be Grammy-worthy, but it's nice. It's almost like it's soothing you.

As Matty climbed until the covers I wrapped my arm around her and she nestled herself next to me. "You know you never said why you like to sing to Angel so much."

Matty thought about it for a few minutes. "I think it's cause my mother use to sing to me." She answered.

"Oh. Will you sing to the babies?"

"Of course." She said. We didn't talk much after that. We were both really tired. We quickly fell asleep. But we were soon woken up. Around 1:00 I felt somebody shaking me.

"Daddy...daddy." Angel.

I turned on my bedside lamp to see her standing next to my side of the bed. Matty then began to wake up too, she rubbed her eyes to stop the lamp from blinding her.

"What Angel?" I asked her sounding very groggy.

"I still can't sleep." She told me. "Have you gotten any sleep at all?" Matty asked. "A little, but not a lot. I still don't like sleeping in this house." She said. "I know, it will take some getting use to honey." I said.

"Can I sleep with you?" She asked. Matty and I looked at one another. "Just for tonight." I finally said. I opened up the blankets for her to climb under. She crawled between me and Matty. Matty was originally on her side like she likes to be, but she moved to her back so her stomach wouldn't be in Angel's way. I moved to my side too. I shut off the light, put my arm around Angel and tried to fall back to sleep.

Sharing a bed with a 4 year old and your pregnant with twins wife isn't easy. But I guess it's just part of being married. Angel slept soundly, Matty kinda did, but she's pregnant. I got the least amount of sleep out of the three of us. I was exhausted from the last couple of days but I just couldn't get to sleep. I knew now how Angel felt.

For some reason this reminded me of back when me and Matty were teenagers. Whenever I couldn't sleep I'd go into her, climb into bed for her, talk for awhile and would eventually fall asleep. I kinda miss those days. Back when Matty and I were in what I like to call it "teenager love". When being in love is a new experience, and you can't get enough of another and wanna spend every waking moment with each other. I still love Matty just as much as I did when we were younger, even more actually. But once you get married and have kids and a job you don't have the same freedom you do as teenagers.

In the little sleep I had that night I dreamed of the days when me and Matty were more worried about getting jumped by Socs then paying for a new house or picking out baby names. I miss those days, but I still love where I am now. I'm a writer, a dad and most importantly, Matty's husband.

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><p><strong>Hey everyone, i figured I'd get some MattyxPonyboy in the story we all remember and love. They haven't changed too much ;). Once again thanks for the continued support. STAY GOLD 3<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

We all slept in until 10:30 the next morning, something we never do, but we all needed it. After breakfast we sent Angel back down to Soda's house so we could unpack. He ended up coming over after he was done with work to help. It took us two days to unpack everything and get it all in it's place. The night we finished I fell into bed next to Matty. She had her eyes closed, but I knew she wasn't asleep yet.

"You ok?" I ask her this a lot when she's pregnant. She says I worry more then she does. But I can't help it, I just want her and the babies to be alright. But she answered with a peaceful 'mhm'.

"You think Angel will stay in her own bed tonight?" I asked. Angel hasn't slept in her own bed the whole night trough since we moved. She falls asleep faster and sleeps better since she's tired from playing with her cousins, but I guess she is still adjusting to the new house. Once we've been here awhile I hope she starts sleeping in her own room, especially after the babies are born.

"I hope so." Matty mumbled, she was really tired tonight. I wrapped my arm around her and she nestled herself next to me. We both fell asleep pretty fast. I woke up the next morning, surprised that Angel hadn't come in sometime during the night and woke us up. I smiled, reveled that she was finally able to sleep trough the night in her own room. But as I climbed out of bed I felt my foot touch something. It was Angel. She was sleeping on the floor in her sleeping bag. I sighed. At least she let me and Matty get some sleep.

* * *

><p>A few days after moving in, we were pretty much settled in. Matty started working at her new job (She was still a social worker just for a different agency). I was waiting to hear back from my publisher about my book. Angel spent most of her days at her Uncle Soda's and Aunt Emily's house. She was started to get along real well with all of them. But she missed her friends back in Tulsa. She slept with her Mickey every night, on me and Matty's floor.<p>

One day I finally heard back from my publisher. He told me to meet him tomorrow at lunch at some nice restaurant. That usually means good news. So I agreed to it. The next day I showed up there, dressed up nice, but not too fancy. The waiter walked me over to the table where my publisher was waiting. When I got over to him he stood up and shook my hand.

"How you doing, Ponyboy?" He greeted me.

"Pretty good, Harry." I said.

"How's the wife?"

I shrugged. "Pregnant." I answered simply. Henry chuckled.

"Yeah I know what you mean." We then sat down and I ordered a drink. Just Pepsi for me. I'm still addicted. Most grown men would order a beer or some type of alcohol, but not me. I rarely touch the stuff, Matty hasn't since that night her drink was spiked. Harry and I talked for a little bit about how things were going for us. I let him know how the move was going and how I was liking California so far.

"Now onto your story..." Harry started.

"What'd you think?" i couldn't help but interrupt him.

"It was...I don't think there's a word for it. It's just, really good. Your best story so far. Maybe even the best you've written. Ever." i couldn't help but smile. Harry doesn't usually stuff that nice. Even if he likes one of my stories, he doesn't say much. Just stuff like it was amazing and uniquely written. Nothing ever this nice.

"Thanks, Harry, that really means a lot."

"So this, this really happened?" He asked.

"Yeah, when I was fourteen." I answered.

"So, were you thinking of making it a memoir?"

"Not really, I was thinking more of a, young-adult novel. Thought maybe kids the same age I was when I wrote could relate to it."

"Wait, you're saying you wrote _at _fourteen? Not recently?"

"It was for a school assignment. I wasn't thinking of ever publishing it, it was Matty's idea." This really made Harry speechless. When he finally did talk all he could say was, "Wow."

"So, you wanna publish it?"

"Of course. We can't let something as good as this not be. I'm gonna start working on it as soon as possible. I'll call you once I have some news. for you."

"Thanks Henry. That really means a lot." I couldn't believe it. I was probably smiling like an idiot. This was the first real story I ever written, and it was gonna be publish. Finally.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey everyone. Im soooo sorry how short this chapter this is. Not only that it took me forever to put up. Once again, sorry. Schoollife is crazy hectic. But I hope everyone liked this chapter. I know a lot of people have Ponyboy be the author of The Outsiders in their fanfics, but...it just seems to work. Anyway hope everyone liked this and is happy for Ponyboy (Can anyone guess what refrence I made by naming his publisher Harry ;]) The next one will come sooner, I hope :p**

**Stay Gold!~ClarkKentsgirl96**


	7. Chapter 7

**It's short and it's late I know :/ Hope everyone likes it anyway **

Chapter 7

A few days after my meeting with Harry, Matty and I had an appointment for her 6 month checkup. I couldn't believe it, 6 months. In 3 more months, we would have not one but two new babies. And they were growing inside Matty's little body. Well, not so little anymore, since they both needed space. Her stomach was bigger at 6 months then it was during her last pregnancy. And now that she was farther along, she wasn't as much morning sickness, but she was waddling on her swollen feet.

While we went to our appointment, Angel stayed at Soda's and Emily's house, she was spending almost every day there now. We sat down in the waiting room, Matty couldn't stop rubbing her belly. "It's a lot bigger this time around." She said as she stared down at it.

"That's cause you're having twins." I reminded her. "I know, I know. But I figured the second time I got pregnant it would be easier than the first time. But with Angel was pretty easy-going, this one is harder. Like how I had morning sickness more this time." She explained. I put my hand on her shoulder.

"I know honey, it's been hard. But I feel like it's because now you have two lives depending on you instead of one, but it'll all be worth it in the end." I said to her. She then leaned over and rested her head on me. "I love you." She whispered. "I love you more." I whispered back. We still play our little game from when we were teenagers.

Once in awhile I miss that time. Our life was more carefree, we only had ourselves to worry about, and there's something about the beginning of a relationship that makes it seem so special. But at the same time, I wouldn't trade being married to Matty for anything. Our love is stronger than ever, and it grows everyday. All our plans and dreams from when we were teenagers have come true, we went to college, got our dream jobs, and were able to make better of our lives and our kids. And we now have a beautiful daughter and will soon have two more children.

We waited a few more minutes before Matty's name was called. They lead us to the little room and our doctor would be there in a few minutes so we had to wait a little bit more. The doctor finally came in. Dr. Wells, a woman, probably in her mid-40s. Although I am thankful for her, I don't know why she wanted to become a kind of doctor that delivers babies. Yes, it's a miracle and beautiful (When it's your kid), but when Angel was born I saw what goes on down there and it is anything but pretty. How does Dr. Wells see that almost every day?

Dr. Wells first asked us questions to see how Matty's pregnancy was going. She said so far so good, we were happy with that. "Now, ready to see the babies?" Like she had to act. Matty nodded and smiled. "Yes."

Matty lifted up her shirt and laid on her back. "Now you want the genders to be a surprise right?" Dr. Wells asked. "Right." I answered. Dr. Wells put the stuff on Matty's stomach so the sonogram could move around. She then took that out and placed it on her stomach. "Now at first I'm gonna look for their heartbeats." Matty and I were holding hands.

Dr. Wells moved it around for a few seconds. I couldn't help but get worried. I heard horror stories about stillborns and I didn't want me or Matty have to go through that kind of pain.

But then I could hear it. I didn't really sound like an actual heartbeat since it was through a machine. It sounded like a steady beat. Matty and I smiled at one another, that was one of our babies little heart beating. A few months ago it wasn't even there. Now it was inside of a baby, inside Matty. "What about the other baby?" Matty asked. Dr. Wells then moved the sonogram around to hear the other twin's heartbeat. When she found it she explained the babies were laying in a way where one's feet was in the other one's face. I laughed at trying to picture it.

She then took the other sonogram so we could get an actual picture of them. Matty and I looked up. And there they were. They were still inside Matty's stomach but still right in front of us. Looking at it almost made me wanna cry. I looked down at Matty, and knew that she was feeling the same thing. 'I love you' I mouthed to her. 'I love you too' She mouthed back. I then leaned down and kissed her.

Now that I had seen the sonogram I couldn't wait even more for the babies to come. I couldn't wait to be a father again.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The 4th of July was coming up soon. Back in Tulsa, we'd have a BBQ with everybody. Everyone took turns having it. At night one of our neighbors would light off fireworks so we'd sit out and watch those. We always had a good time. But now we were in San Diego, we needed a new tradition. Me and Matty talked about it. We still hadn't taken Angel to the beach yet, so I figured the 4th would be the best time. "Are you sure? It's the 4th of July, it'll probably be packed." Matty said, and I knew she was right, but I really wanted to take Angel.

"We'll leave early in the morning and only stay for a little while. C'mon it''ll be fun." I told her. Matty could see how much I wanted to do this, and I knew she wanted to go the beach since we got here, so she agreed to it. I called Soda up to see if he wanted to come and take Emily and their kids, and he liked the idea. "We're having a BBQ later with Em's parents and one our neighbors, wanna come?" Soda offered. "Sounds like fun, ok." I answered.

So everything was all set. The night before was humid and sticky. Probably a sign that the next day would be hot. We had all the windows opened in our room and Angel's. She was finally sleeping in her own room and she only sleeps in our room if she was has a nightmare. We had a fan going in her room and two in ours, since our room is bigger. We tried sleeping with one thin blanket but it was just too hot, so we got rid of it halfway during the night. It wasn't so bad for me to sleep, as long as I didn't wake up. It was harder for Matty, with her being pregnant. That seemed to be her excuse for everything now. I kinda felt a little bad for her, but once the babies are born it'll all be worth it.

I got up earlier than everyone for the beach, probably cause I was the most excited. I packed a cooler with a lot of drinks and food for everybody. A few days before I bought some sandcastle making stuff for Angel, figuring it would be something she'd want to do. I brought a chair and umbrella for Matty, even though she probably wouldn't be sitting the whole time. Matty loves the beach. Whenever we do visit she's either in the waves or walking along the shore looking for sea shells. I highly doubt her being pregnant is gonna stop her from having her fun.

By the time I finished packing the car up for the day Matty was up and getting ready, so I went to wake up Angel. When I walked into her room she was all sprawled out on her bed, her single blanket twsited and barely on her anymore. Her hair that's a perfect replica of Matty's was surronding her head on her pillow. It's getting long, must make her hotter. She also had a little pout on her face. Regredless, she looks cute when she's sleeping.

I walked over to her and lightly shook her. "Wake up sweetheart, we're going to the beach today, remember?" She woke up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "Are there gonna be fireworks later?" Was the first thing she said. She still misses Tulsa at times. "Of course, baby." I assure her. "And Uncle Soda and Dane are coming right?"

"Yeah, all six of them are coming. You can play in the waves, collect seashells, make a sandcastle, whatever you want. It'll be fun." I told her. She yawned before cilmbing out of bed. I helped her get dressed, I put her in a red two piece bathing suit and over that a blue sundress with red and white stars on it. It seemed apporaite. Then I sent her off the Matty to do her hair so I could load up the car. By the time I was done my two ladies were ready. Matty had put Angel's hair into adorable little braids. And for herself she had her hair pulled back into a ponytail. She had on big circle sunglasses. There one of the few things I don't like from the 70s, but Matty can wear them and pull them off (Even though it's 1980). She had a navy blue martienty sundress on. She looked very cute. I couldn't help but kiss her before getting into the car.

We stopped at Soda's house before going to the beach. Him and Em were ready with their kids. So they got into their car and we all drove to the beach. Luckily we got there early enough that it wasn't totally packed yet. We actually got a good spot. It was close to the water but not too close for when the tide came in. And it wasn't too bad of a walk from the parking lot either. Me and Soda carried everything and set it all up while Em and Matty put sunblock on the kids. "It's cold, and feels slimy, mommy." Angel complained. She's had sunblock put on her before, but she always whines about it. "Well you don't want a sunburn, Angel, they're no fun." Matty told her. Once me and Soda finished setting everything up Matty was putting sunblock on herself. "Hey Pony, get my back for me please?" She asked. As I rubbed I could tell it was almost like a back message for her. Being pregnant isn't nice to your back.

"So, what do you guys wanna do first?" Soda asked gthe kids once we were all set. "Make a sandcastle!" Rachel shouted first. The other kids agreed, except Wendy. She started stomping her feet. "No, no no! No beach, no beach!" She cried. Oh the terrible twos, how I don't miss them. Angel's weren't too bad, but they weren't easy. She had the usual temper tanturms and testing her limits. I'm already dreading having to go through that again with the twins.

"She's just cranky, probably hungry too." Em said. She went into the cooler and pulled out some animal crackers. As soon as she gave them to Wendy she began to quit down. "Don't get sand in those, Wendy." Soda told her. Two minutes after he said that she dropped an elephant in the sand.

The other kids got started on the sandcastle. Angel never made one before, but she sure was excitied to. Even though she's a little bit of a tomboy, she's still in castles and princesses and dragons. She watched what her cousins doing, filling their buckets up with sand them flipping them over, making a little piece of the castle. She copied them. They made a sqaure with the center open, so they could go in the middle of it. Me and Soda helped them out. Soda would go to the waves with a bucket to get water. It would help the sand stick together. I searched the sand for shells so the kids could decorate the castle later.

Once the outside of the castle was finished, the kids connected the empty spaces with sand. One they finished that Rachel and Xaiver got smaller buckets, filled them up with sand, then would dump them on top of the of the castle making, it taller and more elaborate. When they finished that Dane and Angel decorated the castle with that they made a moast around. They tried putting water in it but it just absorbed into the sand so they gave up. When it was all done we all stepped back and admired it.

It actually was a pretty good sandcastle. The kids worked hard and it showed. I deiceded to take a picture, but then realized I left it at home! I knew I left something, but figured it was something small like an extra shovel.

"Dammit!" I accidently said out loud. The kids looked at me shock. Wendy mimcked me, not smart on my half. "What Pones?" Soda asked. "I left our camera at home." I told him. "No don't worry, Pony. I brought it." Matty said and took it out of her bag. I literally went over and kissed her, how is she so perfect?

I took a picture of Angel sitting in the middle of the castle, her smiling big. Then Soda took one of his three kids with his camera, then we took some of all four of them. Then Matty and Emily took a few of all six of us with the castle.

"Let's go in the waves now." Xaiver said. So me and Soda took the four kids to the waves while Em and Matty stayed to keep and eye of Wendy and get some sun. As Angel walk towards the waves, she seemed a little unsure. I can see why it was strange to her. Water coming closer than leaving, having it crash down. I decide not to take her far out yet. She needed to get use to it first, so I just brought her up to her ankles.

"It's chilly!" She said to me holding onto my hand tigther. "I know, you'll get use to it." I told her. "Ok, when the water comes closer to you, jump over it, ok?" I instructed her. She nodded her head. A little wave started coming towards us, getting smaller as it got closer. Dane, Xaiver, Rachel, and Soda were a little farther out than us, jumped over it. "1...2...3...jump!" I said to Angel. And the two of us did. She smiled. "See? It's fun."

We jumped the waves for a little bit, slowly going farther out. The water soon reached Angel's waist. When it did I picked her up, I can't help but worry. We all played and spashled around in the waves for awhile, and Matty soon joined us. She looked so cute jumping around in the waves with her little (well not really) pregnant belly. At one point Angel got her first mouthfull of ocean water, she sure didn't like it.

After playing around in the waves for awhile we all went back to our spot to dry off. It was around lunchtime anyway. We all had sandwhiches with chips. "Hey Angel watch this." Dane said, he began sprinkilng sand on his sandwhich, making Angel laugh. "Dane, cut that out." Emily warned. "But mom, it's called a _sand_which." He reminded her. "Then you're gonna have to eat it with the sand on it, cause that's the only one you're getting." Said Soda. Dane took a bite. "It's crunchy." He said trying to hide that he didn't like it.

After lunch we all just relaxed. The kids talked while us grown ups did too. "How's your pregnancy going, Matty?" Emily asked. "Tougher than the last time, but other than that not too bad." She answered she said rubbing her belly.  
>Any names picked out yet?" Soda asked. "Not yet, we're still thinking." I told him.<p>

After awhile we we deiceded to take the kids for a walk along the shore. They grabbed their buckets so they could pick up seashells along the way. As the nine of us walked I held Matty's hand. Remembering this was the same beack I proposed to her at. I looked over at her, thinking about how I've been in love with her for 15 years, the best 15 years of my life. We've grown up and been through so much, and we're still together. Not many high school sweethearts can say that nowadays.

I leaned over and kissed her cheek. She looked at me. "What was that for?" She asked. I shurgged. "Just cause." I answered. She kissed my cheek back.

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><p><strong>Hope everyone liked this chapter, I've been wanting to make them go to the beach for awhile. Sorry for the gaps between chapters. My grades have been slipping so I had to focus more on school. Exams are coming up, gonna have to study for those, gee what fun :p. Anyway thanks for putting up with my delays, I'm gonna try and get better when summer comes. Stay Gold! <strong>


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

We left the beach around 3:30, but it took a good 20 minutes to pack everything up and it put it all back in the car, with all the walking and the kids. As we were leaving, Emily, Rachel, and Xavier all had sunburns forming even though they all put lotion on. Right now their skin was pink. Emily had fair skin and Rachel and Xavier inherited it. Me, Soda and Matty's skin are fine as long as we put lotion on, and we can get tan, not just very dark. I'd say I'm the palest out of the three though.

Since the BBQ wasn't gonna start until 5:00, we all went home to shower and get rid of the sand and beach hair. On the way home I asked Angel what she thought. She liked it a lot, she just didn't like how she now had sand in her bathing suit. Which I consider a good and typical response from a four year old.

Once we got home I gave Angel a quick bath while Matty took a shower. Angel hates baths for only one reason, getting her hair washed. She likes her hair, and hates people messing with it. If it was up to her she'd never have to brush it or put up in a ponytail when it's hot out. But she does trust Matty with her hair more than she trusts me. She fusses more when I have to do something to it. Today was no exception.

I let Angel put her head under the running water to get it wet, as I put shampoo in my hands I could see her pouting. She didn't complain so much though this time. Until...

"Shit daddy you got some in my eye!"

Excuse me? Did I just hear what I thought I did come out of my four year old's mouth? I stopped right in my tracks.

"Angel, what did you just say?" I asked her. "I said you got shampoo in my eye." She answered. I grabbed a towel and wiped off her eye. "No, no. You said 'shit'. Where did you hear that?" I said to her after I did. "At the beach."

"Who said it?" I asked. "Some boy." Well this is just great. I knew she was going learn swear words and test them out someday, but when it finally happened it was a bit of a shock.

"Well don't say it anymore. Alright? It's a bad word, you can get in trouble for saying it." I told her with a stern voice (Something I don't use very often) so she knew I was serious.

"What does it mean?"

"You'll learn when you're older." I said and left it at that.

By the time I was finished with Angel Matty was out of the shower, so I had my turn while Matty got Angel dressed. We were a few minutes late getting out the door, but it's no big deal since we live down the street.

By the time we got there Em and Soda had everything set up. There was a table in the backyard that had drinks and chips on it while Soda was grilling up some burgers and hot dogs. I went over to him to help. At the picnic table was Emily, the neighbors- Patty and Ted- who me and Matty met a few times before and Emilyy's parents. Matty sat down next to them. She introduced herself to them. Matty use to act tough and not talk much to new people, but after getting a job as social worker she's learned to be more friendly. Emily's mother wouldn't stop talking to Matty about her pregnancy, but she didn't mind. Sometimes I think she likes the attention, but she'd never admit it.

At one point Soda's youngest Wendy over to her grandpa and sat as his lap. "I lub you pappy" She said and he kissed the top of her head. This made me think of how I never had grandparents. When I was younger I didn't think I was missing out on much, almost no one in my gang had them. But after Angel was born, it made me think of my parents, and how happy they would be, to have a grandchild. My mom sure would've made a great grandma. She'd probably baked Angel all the chocolate cakes she could eat. And Matty's parents aren't around anymore either. Her mother died when she was real little, and she hasn't spoken to her father since he was put in jail for beating her. He'd probably wouldn't make the best grandpa, but the way Matty talks about her mother makes her seem like the perfect mom and grandma.

As I was thinking about all this I looked over at Angel. She was playing with Dane and the one of the neighbor's kid in the sandbox. Dane was bragging about the sandcastle they made earlier and Angel was agreeing with everything he said. Even though some of it, like the living sand gaurds, was made up.

"Hey Pones, you ok?" Sodapop asked nudging my shoulder. "What? Yeah I'm fine, just blanking out, sorry." I answered. The food was all ready in a little bit, so we all sat down and ate. Just as we were eating I heard Dane say, "Shit" over at the kid's table.

"Don't say that Dane, it's bad word." I heard Angel warn him. But that only made him wanna say it more. "Shit, shit, shit."

"Stop it, Dane you're not being funny." Xaiver told him. "Shit!" He yelled. This time he got Soda and Emily's attention.

"Dane, what did you just say young man?" Soda asked him with a serious voice. "Shit." Dane answered like it was no big deal. "Stop it Dane!" Rachel yelled at him.

"Dane, you know that's not a nice word. Say it one more time, you'll get soap to wash out your mouth." Em warned him. But of course, he said it one more time. So Emily brought him in the house to take care of him.

"I'm real sorry everybody." Soda said to the adults. "Don't worry, he must of heard it at the beach with Angel today, cause she tested it out on me when I got shampoo in her eye." I told him. That made him crack a smile. "Just be lucky he didn't drop an f-bomb." Said Ted, making a few of us laugh. "What's an f-bomb?" Rachel asked. The adults started laughing again.

Emily and Dane came back out, Dane trying to wipe his tounge; probably trying to get the soap taste out of his mouth. Emily tapped his shouldermeans he dully said, "I'm sorry everyone for my fresh language." we all forgave him.

Once we all finished eating, it still wasn't dark enough yet for fireworks so we all sat around and talked. Sodagave the older kids some poppers to throw onto the ground as long as they kept them away from people's feet. Finally around nine, the sky was dark enough. So we all headed to Soda and Em's driveway and sat down to watch the neighbor's fireworks. I had Matty by my side and Angel on my lap. The fireworks weren't anything too special, they were pretty much the same thing they were in Tulsa. But they were still pretty, and fun to watch, the little kids covered their ears from all the loud banging.

The fireworks ended about 25 minutes after they started. By that point, all the kids were tired. Wendy was sleeping in Soda's arms. So everyone said their goodbyes and me and Matty started heading home with Angel on my back, ready to fall asleep any minute. When whe got home Matty put Angel to bed while I changed for bed and waited for Matty. She came in about ten minutes later.

"Did Angel fall asleep?" I asked as she changed into her nightshirt. "in two minutes. She didday she had a fun day though." Matty answered, pulling her shirt over her pregnant belly. She then waddled over and climbed into bed next to me, I wrapped my arm around her once she got under the covers. Right before she fell asleep I whispered in her ear, "I love you, Matty." She silently replied, "I love you too"

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><p><strong>sorry this took forever, I would've had it up earlier but I was on vacation for a week and forgot. Anyway I wanna write an outsiders story that isn't in the something golden series, let me know if you would read it in the reviews. Thanks! Stay gold!<strong>


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